Why did Putin reject Trump's offer — Atlantic Council

Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to reject any diplomatic settlement to the war in Ukraine. This comes even as the United States offered concessions that could have been seen as a victory for Moscow. President Donald Trump has now issued an ultimatum. Russia has ten days to agree to end the war or face new sanctions.

According to a recent article by the Atlantic Council, Putin believes Russia can win a long war. He sees no reason to compromise and aims to eliminate Ukraine as an independent state. For the last six months, the United States tried to find a peaceful solution. Washington offered to accept Russia’s control over occupied Ukrainian territories. It was ready to block Ukraine from joining NATO. The administration considered easing sanctions. There were even reports of plans to recognize Crimea as part of Russia.

The United States also stopped public criticism of the Kremlin. It withdrew support from global efforts to investigate Russian war crimes. But Russia did not respond with any serious interest in peace. Instead, it made extreme demands. These included full disarmament of Ukraine, permanent neutrality, and legal protection for the Russian language in Ukraine. These demands would erase Ukraine’s independence.

Putin is not looking for a deal. He wants full control. His goal is to destroy Ukraine as a state. He believes the West will lose interest and reduce support for Ukraine. Trump is no longer willing to wait. He warned that new sanctions will hit Russia if no deal is made within ten days. These sanctions may include penalties for countries that keep buying Russian oil. This would hurt Russia’s economy even more.

Meanwhile, Russia continues to increase attacks on Ukraine. In recent days, missiles and bombs have hit cities in Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia. Many civilians have been killed or wounded. This shows that the Kremlin is not serious about peace.

Why did Putin reject Trump's proposal?

Vladimir Putin rejected President Trump’s proposal because he believes Russia is winning the war. The Kremlin sees Ukrainian forces growing weaker, while Russian troops continue to push forward, even if slowly. Putin is convinced that time works in Russia’s favor and that Western countries lack the will to reverse the situation.

Support for Ukraine from international allies is arriving late and in smaller quantities. This delay gives the Russian leader more confidence that he can defeat Ukraine both on the battlefield and politically.

Inside Russia, the government has adjusted the economy for war. Factories now operate non-stop, military spending has increased, and higher salaries for soldiers help maintain public order. While the economy faces problems like inflation and high interest rates, the defense industry is expanding. The exit of Western companies has also opened the market for businesses tied to the government.

A truce would threaten this wartime system. It could cause loss of control, rising tensions from returning soldiers, and a possible decline in the regime’s grip on power. The Kremlin remembers the chaos that followed the return of veterans from the war in Afghanistan during the 1990s, when crime and instability spread across the country.

The most important reason Putin refuses peace is that he does not see Ukraine as a separate country. He views it as a part of historic Russia and a threat to the survival of the Russian Federation in its current form. For him, an independent Ukraine represents the collapse of the Soviet empire. Any peace deal that allows Ukraine to remain independent would be a personal defeat.

This belief shapes all of the Kremlin’s actions. For many years, Putin has said that Ukrainians and Russians are one people. Since 2022, this message has turned into something more dangerous. Russian forces carry out mass repression in occupied areas, erase Ukrainian culture, and force the Russian language and identity on people. Putin is not just fighting a government — he is trying to destroy a nation.

Even the best deal from the United States will not change Putin’s mind if it means Ukraine continues to exist. He understands that as long as Ukraine survives, Russia has already lost.

Russia's mass abduction of children was uncovered as a result of a Ukrainian hack

Ukraine's military intelligence agency has uncovered new evidence of Russia's large-scale abduction of Ukrainian children from occupied territories. The discovery came after Ukrainian cyber specialists successfully accessed servers used by the Russian occupation authorities in Crimea.

The recovered files reportedly confirm the organized deportation of children from areas under Russian control, including parts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions. Ukrainian officials say the data includes thousands of documents — personal profiles of children, unlawful guardianship records assigning them to Russian citizens, details of their relocation, and addresses across occupied territories.

According to the intelligence agency, this information will support criminal investigations and efforts to bring the children home. Agency spokesperson Andrii Yusov said the files have already been handed over to law enforcement.

Ukraine's official database confirms that at least 19,546 children have been forcibly taken since February 2022. So far, just 1,468 have been returned. Authorities believe the true number is much higher. The Ukrainian ombudsman estimates up to 150,000 cases, while other officials suggest as many as 300,000 children may have been abducted.

In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children's Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova over their role in the illegal transfers. The issue has remained central to Ukraine's talks with international partners and with Russia itself.

During negotiations in Istanbul, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian officials dismissed Ukraine’s demand to return the children as a “show for childless European old ladies,” even while admitting to relocating hundreds. Ukraine has made clear that the return of abducted children is a non-negotiable part of any future peace deal.

Ukraine will move military training underground

In response to recent Russian attacks on military training grounds, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has called for training to be moved underground to protect troops. He stressed that all of Ukraine remains within range of Russian missiles and drones, making above-ground exercises increasingly dangerous.

On July 29, a Russian missile strike hit a Ground Forces training facility, killing three people and wounding 18 others. An investigation has been launched to determine if mistakes by military officials contributed to the casualties. A similar incident occurred on March 1, when a Russian Iskander-M missile struck a formation exercise in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast after a reconnaissance drone allegedly spotted the gathering. That attack led to the suspension of two commanders and a criminal investigation.

Syrskyi said troop safety and training are top priorities. Ukraine has extended its basic combat training from 49 to 51 days and added new courses focused on drone operations, trench survival, and engineering. Plans are in place to expand underground training programs and build new instructor schools with support from the Come Back Alive charity foundation.

According to Syrskyi, better training means better protection for soldiers and greater security for Ukraine as a whole.